A fine line
by Kailiata
Summary: Set two years after the defeat of Voldemort. A reunion is set up and a confrontation occurs with surprising results. It's better than the summary makes it seem! Give it a try!


**Set a couple of years after Voldemort's defeat. A reunion has been organised for all the ex Hogwarts students to attend...**

**I own nothing of course except for the plot.**

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><p>Draco let his eyes scan the room. The faces were familiar. He had seen the so called 'golden trio' almost immediately. Potter was looking suitably smug and Weasel and the Mudblood were holding hands awkwardly. They were in the centre of the room, surrounded by a brainwashed group of followers listening to the 'timeless' tale of their 'heroism'. As far as Draco was concerned, their story was history and like all history, the only thing it was useful for was for sending you to sleep. They all seemed to be oblivious to his entrance, something which he found extremely irritating. He wasn't used to being ignored. He was about to give up all hope of the evening being at all interesting when he realised that one set of eyes in the group were not focused on the gabbling scar-face. Instead, they were staring straight at him. They were huge, chocolate brown eyes and they were staring at him with an expression Draco realised he had actually missed.<p>

Complete and utter hatred.

In that moment, Draco decided maybe choosing to attend this reunion hadn't been the worst decision he had made since hugging Voldemort.

Letting his eyes meet hers he began to wrack his brains to figure out who she was and whatever he had done to make her look at him like that.

Her hair was shoulder length and rich caramel-colour blonde. Her eyes were dark as he had noticed. She was, he admitted, quite strikingly pretty although her stance and expression told him she wasn't simply a girl he had rejected one too many times. His eyes narrowed as the realisation began to dawn on him. This girl had more than enough reason to hate him. He had after all, indirectly performed an unforgivable curse on her. But what was her name?

Katherine? Kora? Karla? K...

'It's Katie. Katie Bell.'

It took Draco a moment to realise he had been mouthing the names as he thought about them and another moment to realise that the crowd around Potter and his minions had dispersed and that the girl in question was now standing directly in front of him.

Draco gave a slight tip of his chin in reply and proceeded to walk towards the drinks table on the other side of the room.

'If you're going to shoot daggers at me, at least be polite and pretend to hide it. You might make other people feel uncomfortable.'

Draco could almost feel Katie's stare burning through the dark material of his suit. He liked to dress up for these kind of occasions. School reunion or not, he never missed an opportunity to show off.

He turned around, a plastic cup of punch clasped firmly in his hand. Katie was stood almost next to him as she too poured herself some punch.

Draco didn't meet her eyes as he leant against the table.

'I've got a feeling there's a lot of things you'd like to say to me, Bell. I can see you practically foaming at the mouth.'

'I wouldn't want to say them here, Malfoy. It's a party people are here to enjoy themselves.'

'Outside. Two minutes. I could do with some entertainment.'

'I wouldn't go if I thought you would enjoy it.'

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><p>Draco downed his punch in one and marched towards the door of the function room. A couple of minutes later Katie followed, observed by no-one but Ginny Weasley, one eye always open for good gossip.<p>

Draco was sat on one of the benches just outside the large house that the reunion committee had hired for the night. It had been a beautiful summers day and the light was only just starting to fade, giving a wonderfully warm glow to the air. Not that either of the two parties noticed.

As Katie's footsteps sounded on the gravel, Draco looked up.

'Well come on then, Bell. Let's hear your worst.'

Katie pursed her lips, her stance like someone who was about to fight a boxing match.

'Stand up.'

Draco didn't move. He just looked her in the eye, smirking.

'I will stand when you say something that is worth my full attention.'

Katie didn't seem to know how to respond to this.

'You cursed me.'

'Correct. I did curse you. Not directly of course. I actually cursed Rosmerta and she cursed you but I suppose you could say that's close enough.'

'You don't sound sorry.' Draco could see Katie's hand flexing as she began to get more annoyed.

'I'm not sorry. Why regret what happened in the past? There's nothing you can do to change it.'

'You could have killed me.'

'But I didn't.'

Katie's hand stopped flexing and remained clenched in a fist. A fist which she then proceeded to throw towards Draco's face. Wiping the blood away as it dribbled from his nose, Draco let his eyes meet Katies'.

'Violence is not the answer, Bell. I thought Gryffindors were meant to be heroic and chivalrous, not violent. Maybe you should have been in Slytherin?'

Katie seemed to ignore this remark, choosing instead to continue with her mission of putting the world, or at least Draco Malfoy, to rights.

'You're a coward, Malfoy. You'd do anything just to save your own skin.'

'Turns out being a coward has kept me out of Azkaban so I'd guess it's not a completely bad thing.' He ran his fingers through his hair, leaning back against the bench as though he didnt have a care in the world.

'Merlin, Bell. Everyone else in this world seems to have at least accepted the past and moved on. You still seem to be living in it.'

Katie had begun to shake with anger and with one slick movement she reached inside her cloak and pulled out her wand, pointing it at Draco's heart. Draco looked at from her wand, to Katie...

And stood up.

Her wand still touching his chest, Katie's eyes never left Draco's as he rose.

'I didn't say anything.'

'Actions speak louder than words. You've got my attention now, Bell. Do proceed.'

His words seemed to catch Katie off guard. She lowered her wand, shaking and with a metallic crunch, she felt her knees land on the gravel. Three hot tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving streaks of black in their paths.

'I hate you.' Her words were so hoarse with emotion, Draco had to crouch down to hear them.

'Two options.'

Katie looked up, her face contorted into a puzzled expression.

'What?'

Draco took her shoulders, pulling her to her feet.

'I'm giving you two choices. Both will hurt me, neither will completely satisfy your hatred. You can choose one and I will not retaliate. You like Quidditch don't you? So think of it as tactics. Choose the option that will be most beneficial to you.'

Katie seemed to consider for a moment.

'What are my options?'

'You may punch and kick or inflict any pain on me or...' He paused briefly, letting his eyes meet hers. 'You may kiss me. Make your choice.'

Katie regarded him for a second as thought to see if he was joking. After getting no reaction she considered for a moment before lifting her fist...

...And letting it drop to her side.

'You've made your decision.'

As Draco's arm encircled her waist and pulled her to him and his other hand cupped her face, Katie looked into his eyes. In the seconds before their lips touched, Katie was convinced Draco looked scared.

It had started off gently, as though Draco was holding back. But then, without realising what she was doing, Katie's arms had encircled his neck and the kiss had deepened. Katie felt dizzy. The entire school knew Draco Malfoy was a good kisser but there was something more in this kiss than simply a physical connection. Katie felt as though all her hatred was being pulled out of her. She felt as though she was meeting the real Draco Malfoy and for the first time since Fred's death, she felt truly alive.

Pulling away slowly, Draco met her eyes. His cheeks were damp with his own tears and his eyes almost seemed to glow silver in the low lighting.

'Damn you, Bell. You always were too good at Quidditch.'

With that, he released Katie and sat heavily down on the bench behind him, his head in his hands. As tears began to slip through the gaps in his fingers, Katie sank to the floor once again, so their heads were level. She had finally realised why both of the options he had given her were painful. The first was physical pain, the second went much deeper. Kissing was an action in which you shared your emotions completely with the other person. Through kissing her, Draco could no longer block out Katie's emotions; he had to accept them and in doing so, he had opened up his own emotions which he had tried to keep so carefully hidden.

Hesitantly, Katie stood up and sat next to the distraught Slytherin, fiddling with her fingers awkwardly.

As Draco pulled his hands away from his face he continued to stare at the ground.

'I'm sorry.' His voice was quiet but Katie somehow managed to hear. She stared at him dumbfounded, he seemed to be serious. He looked at her and seemed to smile weakly.

'Forgiven me yet?' It was rhetorical but Katie found herself shaking her head. Draco nodded at her reply.

'I've not forgiven me either.'

A single tear escaped from the corner of his eye and as Katie reached to wipe the tear away she found herself apologising.

Because her hand didn't leave his face after the tear had gone and her lips were on his before she could stop herself. In one night she had realised two things.

One: There is a fine line between love and hate. A fine line that can be crossed all too easily.

And two: Draco Malfoy was a broken man and it would take time, but one day she would find a way to fix him.

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><p><strong>So I wrote this at three in the morning so sorry if it's a bit scruffy. This pairing just came to me when I was watching the half blood prince. I think it could work.. maybe. <strong>

**Just a couple of notes:  
>I'm not implying that Katie and Fred were ever together. They were friends and in this, Katie is just struggling to come to terms with the death of her friend.<br>****I know Draco may be a bit OOC but oh well, sometimes I let my creativity get the better of me.  
>I'm not an expert on Harry Potter so apologies for anything incorrect.<strong>

**If you liked it.. review! Please!**


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